Categories: LSAT, LSAT; Rolling Admissions
Tags: December LSAT, LSAT, Rolling Admissions, September LSAT
 4 Comments »
I received this e-mail from a blog reader:
Hi Ann, I have read your blog and numerous discussion boards that say a December LSAT score puts me at a disadvantage in the admission cycle. I do not feel ready for the September test but I would like to know if I can send in my application before I get the score? I am 27 with a GPA below 3.0. I would appreciate your insight and advice. – TG
I want to start by thanking TG for agreeing to allow me to respond to this question for the benefit of all of my readers. Any disadvantage of applying later is more than made up by getting an LSAT score a few points higher than you would’ve gotten on the September LSAT. I am a huge proponent of rolling admissions, but a better LSAT score is ALWAYS better. You can still submit applications by early January when schools are up and running again after the holidays. Postponing the September LSAT until December is NOT the worst idea in the world. See this post from last year: Not Hitting Your Goal LSAT Score?
As far as applying earlier goes, your applications cannot be reviewed without your LSAT score. They’ll just sit in the office waiting for that score report. If you absolutely know where you’re applying (say, if you’re staying close to home and there are only a few schools nearby) then submit your applications in early December so the schools can gather the reports from LSDAS, etc. But in September, October and November I’d rather see you concentrating on the LSAT than on your application materials – assuming you have limited time to spend on the business of applying to law school.
The following is a brief excerpt from my book, “The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert“ addresses the issue of how to know if you should go ahead and take September or wait until December:
How do you know if you’re really ready for the LSAT? If you don’t feel ready to take the LSAT, your instinct is probably right. You have a few options. You could take the test and if your score is halfway decent, you can apply. This is a poor strategy that usually goes worse than you expected and becomes something you have to later explain on your applications. Plus, it’s a huge ego-deflater to see a low score. Make sure to take many timed practice tests with five sections. It’s an endurance test and a speed test, so you must practice under these conditions. Practice in distracting conditions, not in ideal ones. It is better to take a test in a noisy coffee shop than in the silence and ideal environment of a library carrel of the 7th floor of your campus library.
TG, I hope this helps you and everyone else wondering exactly the same thing. As always, I welcome comments, feedback and questions.
Categories: LSAT, LSAT; Rolling Admissions, Multiple LSAT scores
Tags: canceling LSAT score, keeping LSAT score, LSAT, Multiple LSAT scores
39 Comments »
Ok, it’s over. It’s done. Today was LSAT day.
What do you do next?
1. Decide how you feel about keeping your LSAT score:
“Canceling an LSAT Score: Will this hurt you? No. It just puts that much pressure on you for next time. So, when should you cancel? If you completely screw up by leaving an entire section blank, misbubble the last ten questions, or become violently ill in the middle of the exam, you should probably cancel. This is especially true if the score would be so demoralizing to you that you would be unable to live with yourself. Another reason to cancel is if you already have one LSAT score that you’re content with and you’re pretty sure you don’t want to have to explain to law schools why the second score is lower.” (The next paragraph goes on to discuss reasons not to cancel an LSAT score)
Also see my previous post on this subject:
2. Stay away from discussion boards. It doesn’t matter what some anonymous person says about what answer was right to which question. This will only make you crazy. The only person you should be speaking to about your LSAT test is your tutor. Stay away from anyone else who took the test and start to think about the next 3 weeks and what you can accomplish to be productive (work on LORs, personal statements, resumes, etc.
Good luck – and feel free to ask questions!
Categories: Low LSAT, LSAT, LSAT Prep, LSAT; Rolling Admissions, Multiple LSAT scores
Tags: Cancel LSAT score, Cancelling the LSAT, LSAT, LSAT noshow
1 Comment »
What a great radio show this morning! Wow!
We heard great tips for the week before the test from 4 very experienced LSAT tutors:
Josh Morrison of LogicPro, Donald Viscardi of Inspirica, Bara Sapir of TestPrepNY, and Paul Siemons of Advantage Testing.
Listen to this morning’s program at my BlogTalkRadio show. It’ll be the best 45 minutes you’ll spend in the week before the June LSAT. If you’re taking the September 2009 LSAT, it’ll really help you decide how to pick an LSAT tutor/prep program because we highlighted four very different (and each effective for the right person) approaches. You can listen on your computer or download it to your iPod.
Thanks also to Bara Sapir for offering a wonderful 30-minute sample of TestPrepNY’s sample LSAT exam preparation audio program.
If you have questions based on anything discussed in the program, leave a comment here. You can ask the question to me, or to a specific tutor from our panel. I look forward to your questions and comments! And, if you find the show helpful please let me know that too. Your feedback helps me determine future blog and radio show topics.
Categories: Advice, Joint degree, Law School Admission Trends, Law School Personal Statement, LSAT Prep, Personal Statement Tips
Tags: Blog Talk Radio Show, JD/MBA, Joint degree, LSAT, personal statement
9 Comments »
Thanks so much to Wei Wang for asking me such great, thought-provoking and relevant questions today on BlogTalkRadio. (CLICK TO LISTEN to our 15 minute segment)
For those who missed the interview about my law school admission guidebook, Wei asked me questions about:
1. Prepping for the LSAT as a full time occupation versus studying while working full time.
2. Pursuing a joint degree, such as a JD/MBA.
3. What to do if you’re taking a year off from school and you can’t find a professional job.
4. Choosing what to write about in your law school personal statement.
Please check out our upcoming BlogTalkRadio segments and feel free to ask questions and to invite your friends to listen in.
Categories: Advice, Application Timeline, Law School Location; Law School Rankings, Low LSAT, LSAT, LSAT Prep
Tags: LSAT, LSAT Prep courses, LSAT tutor
No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome!
JB left this comment on my old blog and I wanted to share it in a separate post here so everyone could benefit from the response:
Thank you Ann! I decided to take your advice and wait. (about the February LSAT)
I keep on having problems with the argument section in the practice exams, Im not sure how you are supposed to study for those kinds of questions. I also am having some trouble with the RC part of the exam. Is there anything that you can recommend that might help me study for these sections of the test better?
Thanks,
JB
First, this is a good decision. I’m glad you’re going to dedicate yourself to going through the law school application process the right way rather than the “get it over with” way. Here are some resources on LSAT Preparation:
Integrated Learning LSAT Blog
Manhattan LSAT Tutor
Test Prep NY
Also, here’s a link to a previous LawSchoolExpert post on LSAT Advice and here’s one on LSAT Prep Courses.
Categories: Low GPA
Tags: Law School, Low GPA, LSAT
27 Comments »
I received this great question on the old blog and thought it should be a post of its own on my new blog, so here goes:
“I have a question that no one has asked. I may be the only one with the nerve. My UGPA is 2.6 – and yes, I have a learning disability but that is only a tiny reason for my undergrad performance. You can probably guess the larger reasons: fraternity, girls, sports. Now, two years out of college, I am incredibily REMORSEFUL and mad at myself. How can I come back from this lack of maturity? The LSAC told me that they will never consider more classes taken after the degree is granted. My LSAT is 155. I have grown up so much, and if I am given a chance to go to law school, I will be the hardest working student in the school. Can you give me advice? Thank you for this blog. Sincerely, Former Slacker.”
Dear Former Slacker,
This is an incredibly common problem, so don’t beat yourself up about it to much. The important things will be to emphasize your maturity and growth and the level of responsibility you’ve handled since college graduation. An addendum to explain why your grades are not a fair indicator of your future success is also in order. A strong resume, strong letters of recommendation, and perhaps taking a class just to get a good letter of rec from it wouldn’t be the worst idea.
These are all the kinds of issues I help my clients with on a regular basis and you should not feel alone in your circumstances!
Ann
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Ann K. Levine, Esq., former director of law school admissions for two ABA approved law schools, is a law school admission consultant and owner of Law School Expert,
